Being able to successfully communicate complex scientific concepts is an important part of learning at higher education level. Poster talks, oral presentations and elevator pitches are well established methods of assessing communication skills. Another method adapted in first year Physiology and Anatomy and second year Neuroanatomy modules was an outreach video/animation group assessments aimed at GCSC and lay patients, respectively.

Here we compare the results when two different cohorts of students in the same UK higher education institutions produced their own video/animation to communicate physiology-related knowledge to different target groups. Our aim was to establish if this assessment strategy could be successfully used with different student groups and instructors and compare student attainment during such assignments. We also report the reflections of lecturers who assessed these video/animation assessments. A comprehensive marking rubric was created based on Peeters et al. (2010) and adapted to different modules.

First year Anatomy and Physiology students (n=299) were assigned into 72 groups of 2-6 students. They had ~12 teaching weeks to complete the assignment. Second year Neuroanatomy students were allocated into 7 groups of 6-10 students. These students had 4 teaching weeks to complete the task. Overall, average grades were in the first class range, with first year students achieving ~78% while second year students got on average ~74%.

Both module managers reflected that the students demonstrated creativity, innovation, originality, were able to distil complex concepts into more accessible forms and pitch them at the right level. Adaptation of comprehensive rubric significantly decreased marking time and provided broad feedback to students. The assessment was stimulating and helped students develop their ability to work as a team member. An assessment as such brings out the creativity in students and is easily adjustable to other subjects.

 

These projects could be undertaken whether a student was studying face-to-face, online or in hybrid mode. Topic choice could make it harder to link the assessment explicitly with intended learning outcomes, and topic complexity could influence the effectiveness of the infographic produced.

We conclude that video/animation assessments are an effective way to encourage group work, ownership, creativity, and investigation by students, which is irrespective of academic stage.